Pencil-sharpener.



No. 867,395. PATENTBD OCT. 1, 1907. J. H. MORRISON.

PENCIL SHARPENER.

JmwflWZonzLm7 INVENTOR W1 T/VzESSES:

A TTORNE 1/5 OFFICE.

JAMES HOLLIS MORRISON, OF DAYTON, OHIO.

PENCIL-SHARPENER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 1, 1907.

Application filed May 18,1906. Serial No. 317,436.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES HOLLIS MORRISON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dayton, in the county of Montgomery and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Pencil-Sharpener, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to pencil sharpening machines of the rotary cutter type and it has for its object to improve the general construction of machines of this character, so that the pencil being sharpened may be automatically fed with respect to the cutter, while the same is rotated.

A further object is to provide a simple means for attaching the pencil to be sharpened to the carriage. In pencil sharpeners that I am acquainted with, the means employed for holding a pencil in the carriage destroys the end of thepencil. This is particularly objectionable when the pencil is" tipped with rubber, since the latter is quickly torn to pieces and the carriage fails to impart rotation to the pencil. With the improvements herein employed, these difficulties are successfully overcome.

For a complete understanding of the invention, reference is to be had to the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing,

and to the claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawing, which illustrates one of the embodiments of the invention, Figure 1 is a plan view of a pencil sharpener. Fig. 2 is a partial perspective view of the pencil carrier and the tooth shaft for actuating the same.

Corresponding parts in the several figures are indicated throughout by similar characters of reference.

Referring to the drawing, 1 designates the base plate of the pencil sharpener, 2 the frame mounted thereon, 3 the tooth shaft that is rotated by the hand crank 4 through the skew gears 5. The shaft 3 is mounted at its ends in bearings 6 on the frame, and the crank shaft 7 is mounted in the'member 6 at another portion thereof.

Guided along the rail 8 extending horizontally at the front of the frame is a carriage 9 in which is the rotatable holder 10. This holder is provided with a gear 11 that meshes with the toothed shaft 3 to receive rotation therefrom. One end of the pencil, which latter is indicated at 12, is attached to the holder 10, while the end to be sharpened is held in a guide 13 formed on the bearingmember 6. I

Adjacent to the right hand end of the machine and keyed to the shaft 7 is a rotary cutter 14 by which the pencil is sharpened. The teeth of the shaft 3 are cut so as to have a slight spiral direction, the pitch of which is determined by the feed desired for the pencil. The object of cutting theateethijingthisxway is to cause the carriage 9, by reason of the pinion 11 meshing with the toothed shaft, to be automatically fed toward the cutter. It will thus be seen that by merely rotating the crank 4, the pencil will be simultaneously rotated and fed longitudinally.

In order to securely attach the pencil to be sharpened to the holder 10, a short spiral wire 15 is employed, the same being secured to thefront face of the pinion 11 by any suitable means, such as a key 16, Fig. 2. The wire is preferably made of steel or other material which possesses a suitable degree of strength with resiliency so that the pencil can be firmly gripped thereby. The end of the spring is roughened or provided with serrations on the side that lies next to the pencil. The pencil may be inserted in the spring by placing it first in the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1, and then by suitably manipulating it, the spring can be engaged around the end of the pencil, as shown. When the pencil is once engaged, it is rotated by means of the spring which tightly wraps around it by reason of the serrations biting into the body of the pencil. By means of this construction, the pencil can be easily attached or detached and be sharpened without 'any damage to the blunt end thereof, or to the rubber tip thereof, if the pencil is provided with such.

I have described the principle of operation, together with the apparatus which I now consider to be the best embodiment thereof, but I desire to have it understood that the apparatus shown is merely illustrative, and that various minor changes may be resorted to without sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

What is claimed is 1. A pencil sharpener embodying a longitudinally movable gcar carrying a pencil-holding member, a cutter, a spirally toothed shaft meshing with the gear, and means for actuating the shaft to impart rotary andlongitudinal motions to the gear.

2. In a pencil sharpener, a rotary cutter, a holder for the pencil to be sharpened, a spiral toothed shaft, a gear meshing therewith for simultaneously rotating and feeding the pencil holder, means for rotating the cutter and shaft, and a supporting frame.

3. In a pencil holder, the combination of a rotatable member, and a coiled wire for engaging the pencil.

4. In a pencil holder, the combination of a rotatable element, .2. wire carried thereby which is adapted to coil around the pencil to be sharpened, and serrations provided on the wire which grip the pencil.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JAMES HOLLIS MORRISON.

Witnesses '1. A. MCCABE, Win. A. Bunnon. 

